Howard spencer and laffayette k



'HOWAR-D sen Nona AND L AFFAYETTE K. SAYLOR, 0F PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 97,718, dated Dccmnber 7 1869.

mratv m m was: Membrane-Um:- or men em: swans.

I The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

.We, Hown nn Srn'uonn and Lut erans K. SAYLOR, of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, Stateof Ifennsylvania, have invented certain -Improveme'ntsin the Manufacture of.Iron and Steel, of which the following is a specification:

Nat-are and Object of tlwIn z-ent-ion.

Our invention consists in converting. iron ore directly mto steel, or" refined cast-iron atone operation.

making. blooms direct fronijtheore, thelatter being fed slowlyiu the first instance, and faster aiter' the heat of the furnace-has become more intense.

. The rapiditywith which thefurnace is fed will (le .pend upon v the 'flnidity of themetal, which may .be tested fromtimet'o-time by nu attendant, Should the metal become too thiek,.more chaipoal'or other fuel should be added, fund a less proportionof ore fed to creased by adding a little silica, or' other equivalent fluigpor by incrasingtheforceof the blast.

It is most important in carrying out our invention that'the metal should be maintained in a very fluid condition. l 1 3 l After the ore has been reduced, the blast is strengthened,'a,nd-is allowed to act on the molten metal, which,

o'wing to'its fluid 'onditi'on, is maintained in'a state of-ebullition, and thereby purified and partly decan bonized, after which it maybe drawn ed. and [cast intosuitable ingots. i

In order to enable others skilled in the manufacture of iron and steel to practise our invention, we will now -.proceed to describe inore' minutely the plau we have adopted in carrying it into eifectr In the first place, we used the magnetic ore or black 4 v oxide of iron, found in.,Harford county, Maryland.

' -We'havealso used the red oxide oi iron, hand in the a|ne locality, both qualities of me having been em- -ployed both. separately and together,- with the same ,result as regards the product. p g v Tl fuel employedwas charcoal, and the furnace consisted of a structure containing a single chamber,

two feetsquare, and aboutsix-feet high.

ployed, two-on each side, the orifice of each tuyere having an area of about two inches, and the tuyeres were situated about ten inches above the hearth, and

were inclined downward toward the latter.

In feeding the furnace, we proceeded as follower The ore was first, stamped or crushed,- t-he pieces being of the size of a pins head,"or' thercabontsf? The fire having been properly kindled, thes'urface of the ignited fuel was sprinkled with the stamped ore,

three or four shovelfuls being used; then about a bushelof. charcoalwasadded', then more orejand more charcoal, the intervals of feeding with ore and fuel being determined by the condition of the fire and metal.-

When the metal appearcdto the attendant to be 'too-t'hick, powdered quart-z in small quantities was occasionally addedas a Bus.

[Toward thecl'ose of the operation, when the mass of molten metal extended nearly to the tuyeres, we discontinued the feeding" with charcoal (but not with ore) for a short time," and increased the fillfCG-Of'lilld blast for from five to tenminutcs, so as to maintainthemetal in a state of ebullition before tapping.

After tapping the operation was promptly resumed,

. the only interrnptlon in the continuity of the process being the few minutes consumed in tapping, and in causing-the blast to play with increased force on the molten metzdjfora short time previous to tapping. J the furnace, and thefluidit-y of the metal may beim We occasionally added to the one small quantities of manganese oreln-oiate ofiron,' with the view of producing steel. of dill'erent qualitiesj In' the furnace, and" by theprocess described above, we 'liavelsucceeded in converting the ore dircctlyjinto steel, attlic rate of about'five hundred pounds -in three hours. I f

It should be understood that the slagfwasremeved from time to time from the furnace It may be remarked here that it the metal,- in re ducing the'ore, be very-highlycarbonizechjess fuel should be" used, and the ore should be fed more rapidly. to thefurnace.

y Wrought-iron in small quantities may be added, to

the'molten metal; so as to aid indecarboniziug the same, and for other purposes; and, if desired, manganese or chromate of iron may he added for-producing steeLo t' (lilierent qualities.

"lnt naking refined castiron, the should be fed to the furnace more slowly,- andv the quantity of fuel should be increased.

When the blast is acting-on the mascot molten metal, toward the close of the operation, it may be increased in force,;and this increased blast may be. com

i tinned for five or ten minutes, or for such a length of l ,Ahot blast wasiused, and four tuyeres.were en1-.

time as ,may be necessary to partly decarbonizeand" purify the meml isufieienfly to make eiflier a. high or low, grade of steel. v

In making refined cast iron, the forae of the blast may be decreased. 7

Claim. The process, snbstantiafly as desribed, of convgerb-- ing iron ore directly into siqeel, 61 into refined castiron, at one operation, and in one chamber ofa blasta' furnace.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this spcciflcntiun, in the' presence of two subscribing .WitHESBBS. I

. HOWARD Srmonm Witnesse:

H. Howsox, Lows BOSWELL.

LAFFAYETTE 1;.- SAYLOR. 

